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April 2026

Single logs from this month:

05 April

08 April

11 April

17 April

25 April

Unlike previous years, this April has been unusually cool, with plenty of frosty nights. Last years pattern in regards to precipitation; my area, which is seeing its normal amount of rain, remains above average compared to the rest of my state. The lack of rain persisting across most of Germany hardly affects my region.

Species that already were seen in March and returned:

• Aglais io
• Anthocharis cardamines
• Gonepteryx rhamni

Species making their first appearances:

• Araschnia levana
• Issoria lathonia
• Nymphalis polychloros
• Pararge aegeria
• Pieris brassicae
• Pieris napi
• Pyrgus malvae

The overall cooler weather compared to a year ago explains the current absence of the first odonata and some butterflies such as P. c-album. There's some doubt regarding a third-party observation of C. argiolus from 24 April which I did not include due to having been unable to verify it on the following day. Given that it's one of the blues that is slightly more tolerant of cold nights, it still is likely that it already is active and instead just less tolerant of the nearly-persistent winds within its preferred spots.

P. aegeria diappeared just after the drought of 2022 and only rather anxiously began to return in the summer of 2025. It thus is even more surprising that it made its very first spring appearance after rarely appearing during two out of four summers. Right now, however, it seems to come at the coincidental continious decline of E. tages – right now it seems unlikely to make its first appearance before summer.